1. Singapore, 14 August 2012 - Having trouble getting a taxi when you are rushing for an appointment? With the Taxi Trajectory Data Mining and Visualisation technology from the Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R: pronounced as “I-square-R”), you will be updated on the exact number of taxis that are available in your location via your mobile device in an instant. This is just one of the 26 exciting innovations that will be showcased at I2R’s annual flagship event, Techfest 2012, at One-North Fusionopolis from 15th to 16th August 2012. Everyone can experience being a researcher for a day, with laboratory visits arranged upon registration at the event.
2. The technologies on show at Techfest 2012 are developed by I2R to provide solutions to the public and to enable businesses to offer value-added services to their customers, with the highlight this year on Business Analytics. They are broadly categorised under five themes: Business Analytics, Multimedia & Entertainment, Mobile, Medical and Smart Energy & Communications (see ensuing paragraphs for a sampling of projects).
Business Analytics – Leveraging statistical analysis to identify useful patterns and insights
3. Besides the Taxi Trajectory Data Mining and Visualisation technology, another exciting Business Analytics technology on showcase is the crowd sensing technology that enables users to have smart sensing of crowd activity at popular locations such as shopping malls, parks and places of interest. The Intelligent Data-Driven Insight Generator (IDIG) developed by I2R is a sophisticated data analysis system that allows users to effectively identify and present statistically-valid correlations in an intuitive manner.
Multimedia & Entertainment - Innovations include multi-touch interfaces and virtual games
4. A special teddy bear, embedded with I2R’s Emotion Recognition and Expression Framework (EXEr) technology, will interact with you through sensing your emotions and will provide an interesting and interactive experience. And for those who find singing a daunting task, help is here! The Speech to Harmonised Singing technology enables aspiring singers to simply read the lyrics of the songs into the microphone and hear the harmonized playback of their singing.

Mobile – Improved HD images, streamlining applications and improving software security on mobile devices
5. Putting colours to a grayscale photo can bring the vibrancy to a black and white photo. However, image colourisation is a challenge even with today’s photo editing software. I2R’s innovative computer software uses information collected from internet-based images to automatically colourise grayscale images. The public can learn more about the techniques used in colourising grayscale photos and how internet image filtering and colour transfer technologies are used.
Medical – Real-time analysis of healthcare data
6. Feeling stressed or in the mood for some party music? The Intuitive Music Sorting based on the Brain Computer Interface system is an innovative breakthrough to assess a person’s emotional state by analysing the signals generated by the brain waves before recommending a suitable piece of music. This technology can potentially be applicable for stress management, depression treatment and sleep disorder therapy.
Smart Energy & Communications – Technologies for Sustainable and Smart Living
7. I2R’s smart plug is an intelligent power plug designed to measure real-time power consumption for home appliances. Data from the smart plug will provide users with an informed choice when they are using the appliances. Other innovations in this category include next-generation internet connectivity, where gigabytes of data can be downloaded in a flash. Using I2R’s latest Wi-Fi 60GHz Chipset, multi-Gbps wireless transfer and Full HD video streaming will be a breeze!
8. In conjunction with Techfest 2012, the 19th Infocomm and Media Horizons (ICM Horizons) will be held at the Genexis Theatre at Fusionopolis on 15th and 16th August 2012. ICM Horizons 2012 is an exciting two-day programme involving thought leaders in business analytics from Accenture, Deloitte, IBM, Revolution Analytics, SAP, and SAS. Keynote speakers include Mr. Norman H. Nie, President and CEO of Revolution Analytics and Mr. Eddie Chau, Founder and CEO of Brandtology. Key aspects of analytics including contemporary challenges, application case studies, pivotal technology trends, the emerging analytics landscape in Singapore, and visionary projections of the future are expected to be discussed and shared.
9. “I2R’s annual Techfest showcase is a great platform to bring our research innovations closer to the public. We welcome everyone who has a keen interest in science and technology to visit Fusionopolis to try out the inventions from our researchers who are passionate in transforming imagination into reality. The ICM Horizons brings together the best in business analytics for an intensive two-day sharing session. We are confident that participants will benefit from this engaging programme.” said Dr. Tan Geok Leng, Acting Executive Director of I2R.
10. Techfest 2012 and ICM Horizons will be open to the public from 10am to 6pm on 15th and 16th August 2012. More information can be found on http://techfest.i2r.a-star.edu.sg and http://horizons12.i2r.a-star.edu.sg respectively.
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About Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R)
The Institute for Infocomm Research (I²R pronounced as i-squared-r) is a member of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) family. Established in 2002, our mission is to be the globally preferred source of innovations in `Interactive Secured Information, Content and Services Anytime Anywhere’ through research by passionate people dedicated to Singapore’s economic success. I²R performs R&D in information, communications and media (ICM) technologies to develop holistic solutions across the ICM value chain. Our research capabilities are in information technology, wireless and optical communication networks, interactive and digital media, signal processing and computing. We seek to be the infocomm and media value creator that keeps Singapore ahead. For more information about I2R, please visit www.i2r.a-star.edu.sg.

About the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is the lead agency for fostering world-class scientific research and talent for a vibrant knowledge-based and innovation-driven Singapore. A*STAR oversees 14 biomedical sciences and physical sciences and engineering research institutes, and six consortia & centres, located in Biopolis and Fusionopolis as well as their immediate vicinity. A*STAR supports Singapore's key economic clusters by providing intellectual, human and industrial capital to its partners in industry. It also supports extramural research in the universities, and with other local and international partners. For more information about A*STAR, please visit www.a-star.edu.sg.